Australia’s women looked in line to win the first medals of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi on Monday, as their leading 200m freestylers powered their way to the finals in the pool.
Kylie Palmer is in pole position for gold in the four-length event after posting the fastest time of 1:58.71 ahead of teammate Blair Evans, New Zealand’s Lauren Boyle and England’s Commonwealth record holder Jo Jackson.
England’s double Olympic gold medallist and world record holder Rebecca Adlington qualified in the sixth fastest time in what is her international debut at the event.
But there was no place for Scotland’s Caitlin McClatchey, who won gold in Melbourne four years ago, after she finished off the pace in her heat.
India’s Arti Bajarang Ghorpade kicked off the Games for the host nation in style, winning the first heat. Her time, though, was not enough to put her in Monday afternoon’s final.
Adlington, who is also going in the 400m and 800m freestyle, said she was just happy to have made the final on Monday afternoon.
“I’ll take it,” the 21-year-old told reporters. “When I finished I looked up and saw that I finished third. If I didn’t I would have been embarrassed.”
Support was thin on the ground for the early morning start at the S.P. Mukherjee Aquatic Complex but the crowd included Prince Charles, representing his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who is head of the Commonwealth.
Elsewhere, Australia teenager Emily Seebohm set out her stall for a possible eight medals - and a place in the country’s sporting pantheon - with two wins in the 50m butterfly and 200m individual medley heats.
The 18-year-old will be joined in the last 16 of the sprint by teammate Marieke Guehrer and teenage sensation Yolane Kukla, who at just 15 is the youngest athlete to represent her country at swimming since 1986.
Seebohm’s main challenger in the fly is England’s Fran Halsall, buoyed by a six-medal haul at the European Championships in August, who qualified easily for the semifinals.
In the 200m individual medley, Seebohm goes against fellow Australian Alicia Coutts and on-form Scottish swimmer Hannah Miley while Canada’s Julia Wilkinson will also be hoping for a podium finish.
Five of the eight medals up for grabs in the Games on Monday are in the pool.
As well as the women’s 200m free and 200m individual medley, one of the most keenly watched finals will be the men’s 400m freestyle.
Canada’s Ryan Cochrane, a silver medallist at the Pan Pacifics in August, won through to the final with defending champion from Melbourne, Scotland’s Dave Carry, and the 2006 bronze medallist David Davies from Wales.
They will be joined by Australia’s Ryan Napoleon, who was cleared to compete after a three-month ban for testing positive for a common asthma medication, and Scotland’s Robbie Renwick.
In the men’s 200m butterfly final, Australia’s ‘bad boy’ Nick D’Arcy, who missed out on the Beijing Olympics and the 2009 World Championships in Rome after a conviction for assaulting a fellow swimmer, failed to qualify.
Instead, Canada’s Stefan Hirniak leads the field, with opposition from South Africa’s Sebastien Rousseau. Australia teenager Jayden Hadler is also hoping for a medal with teammate Chris Wright.
Australia will be looking to regain their 4x100 freestyle crown from South Africa, who ended their unbeaten six-Games run of titles in the relay in Melbourne. Also challenging for a top three spot will be Canada and England.
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